Randolph County Public Library challenges readers to try digital

Saturday

Nov 18, 2017 at 12:01 AMNov 18, 2017 at 11:54 AM

ASHEBORO — Randolph County Public Library (RCPL) is on a mission: Get more people to try digital reading.

While the library has offered eBooks to the community through its partnership with OverDrive for six years through its “Digital Depot” platform, many people may be surprised to learn their RCPL library card gives them access to more than 4,000 free digital eBooks.

Through the rest of 2017, the library is participating in OverDrive’s “Digital Dash” contest. If it achieves 18,366 digital checkouts by the end of the year, RCPL will be eligible to win additional funds to buy more eBooks for the “Digital Depot” collection. As of now, the 2017 eBook checkout total stands at 15,527, so a circulation surge over the next several weeks will help the library meet its goal.

“EBooks make it easy to binge-read a series, or author, or try something new and different,” librarian Rebecca Fleming said.

The library’s digital books are free for anyone to borrow with a valid library card. Current popular titles include “Origin” by Dan Brown, “The Rooster Bar” by John Grisham and “To Be Where You Are” by Jan Karon.

Users can borrow bestsellers and other eBooks from a variety of fiction genres and nonfiction subjects to enjoy on smartphones, tablet computers, Kindles and other eReaders, as well as laptop and desktop computers. RCPL also offers a dedicated space for younger readers, the NCKIDS Digital Library, also through OverDrive. There are never late fees with digital titles, as they return automatically at the end of the lending period.

Readers can access the library’s digital collection any time, night or day, by visiting Randolph.OverDrive.com or by downloading the OverDrive app from their device’s app store.